2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Ketchup is arguably the most popular sauce in the world, loved by millions of people who flavor hot dogs or pizza with it every day. This product is so popular that in almost all restaurants you can get it without any problems, in most cases even completely free.
A favorite of people of all ages, ketchup is a tomato sauce that is prepared on the basis of tomato paste, vinegar, starch, flavored with salt, sugar and various spices. In some cases, peppers, onions or garlic are added to the ketchup.
History of ketchup
The history of ketchup begins somewhere in the 17th century in England, but in fact its homeland is considered to be China. 3-4 centuries ago, the Island began to deliver shipments of interesting sauce from Asia, whose main ingredients were anchovies, walnuts and mushrooms and no mention of tomatoes.
The Asian sauce was called koechiap and ke-tsiap. Roughly translated from ancient Chinese, the name means "marinated fish" or "brine from salted fish or mollusks".
English sailors were the first to add tomatoes to the ancient Asian fish sauce. This happened sometime in the 19th century and since then the name catchup or ketchup has emerged.
Probably due to its unique taste and versatility, ketchup is gaining popularity at a rapid pace and will soon spread throughout Europe. A variety of the original Asian recipe has survived to this day. The sauce is made from mushrooms and olives, but is extremely rare.
The industrialization of ketchup occurs in 1876, when the sauce first appeared in stores. The enterprising and resourceful producer and trader is Henry Heinz. After Great Britain, ketchup became famous in the United States. Ketchup began to be sold en masse throughout Europe after World War II.
And so to this day, when ketchup is everywhere. One of the latest innovations in its production is the offering of the sauce in small dosage packets in fast food restaurants. Since 2000, the ketchup pioneer has introduced another marketing ploy to increase ketchup sales.
Tomato sauces in different colors appeared on the market - green, blue, purple, pink, orange and others. Staining is obtained by adding natural or artificial dyes.
Composition of ketchup
The modern recipe for ketchup dictates that the delicious sauce contain tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, garlic and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, paprika, ginger, chili or cayenne pepper.
Due to the tomatoes, which are the predominant ingredient in ketchup, the sauce is rich in quite active biochemical elements. Chief among them is lycopene - a powerful antioxidant, which is due to the red color of tomatoes and which fights free radicals, preserving the youth of cells in our body.
However, you can find different types on the market ketchup at a cheap price, the content of which is not entirely natural, but with the addition of enhancers and preservatives. For example, an average of ketchup contains: tomato juice 38%, tomato paste 27%, sugar 16%, water 11%, salt, citric acid, modified starch, preservative - potassium sorbate and / or sodium benzoate and various types of spices.
In 100 g ketchup contain: 90-100 kcal; 1.74 g protein; 25.15 g carbohydrates; 0.31 g fat; 16709 mcg lycopene.
Selection and storage of ketchup
Walking through the sauce stands in large stores you will find a huge variety of ketchup - different brands, with different tastes and spices and, of course, different prices. The rule is this - the cheaper a ketchup, the less natural ingredients it contains.
It is advisable to choose more expensive varieties and brands ketchup, which will guarantee you a better taste. Be sure to observe the contents and expiration date marked on the package. When you open the ketchup tube, be sure to store it in the refrigerator.
Culinary use of ketchup
The application of ketchup in cooking it is practically endless, except, of course, confectionery. As a rule, ketchup is a spice in the form of sauce to various dishes. Finds a very good combination with other ingredients in various dressings, sauces and marinades for meat or vegetables. It flavors meat with great efficiency due to the presence of acid and sugars in it. Sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs are the first friends of ketchup.
The taste of tomato sauce is very suitable for addition to raw-smoked or cooked sausages, such as salami, sausages, sausage. Ketchup perfectly complements the taste of all types of meat - grilled or baked red and white meat, but it is also a favorite of many of us for seasoning pizza, pasta, some salads, etc.
Benefits of ketchup
The natural ketchup, which is prepared only from natural products, can be considered a complete food that brings us the benefits of each individual product that is part of it. Due to the active substances in tomatoes, and especially lycopene, which increases during the heat treatment of tomatoes, ketchup could be a good helper in lowering bad cholesterol in the body with daily consumption in moderation.
The powerful antioxidant destroys the dangerous type of cholesterol for the cardiovascular system. This in turn contributes to the normal functioning of the heart, for which there is data from special research with volunteers.
If there is an addition of hot peppers or cayenne pepper in the ketchup, it means that it also contains capsaicin. It, in turn, has many proven positive effects on our health - it acts as an analgesic, which stops inflammatory processes in the body and is able to fight colds, flu and flu. Hot peppers are also a strong antioxidant, for which beta-carotene, which is the enemy of harmful free radicals, is to blame.
Harm from ketchup
As we hinted above, the contents of ketchup is most important so that you can judge whether it is if not useful, then at least not harmful food. Keep in mind that not all types of ketchup are useful due to the presence of various enhancers, colors, preservatives and stabilizers. Some types of ketchup do not even contain tomatoes, but rather starch, water, flavors and colors.
Recommended:
Let's Make Homemade Ketchup
Children and adults alike can't resist adding delicious ketchup to their meals and sandwiches. And if you prepare it at home, it will be free of preservatives and other substances that are added in its industrial production. In addition, it will have a different taste that everyone will like.
What Is Banana Ketchup?
You heard right, banana ketchup . Although it may not be popular on our table, this fruit spice is prevalent in the Philippines, where it originates. Although traditionally called ketchup, there are no tomatoes in the sauce. Instead, the list of ingredients includes bananas, sugar, spices and vinegar to create a fragrant, slightly sweet product used for all kinds of dishes.
Ketchup Every Day For A Healthy Heart
Daily consumption of ketchup helps lower bad cholesterol in the body, say British scientists. This is due to the fact that ketchup destroys the dangerous type of cholesterol for the cardiovascular system. In this way it maintains the normal functioning of the heart.
Ketchup - A Bottle Of Sauce That Makes Everything Tastier
It is like salt and pepper, like wine and bread, and like everything that the taste of some foods simply cannot do without. You certainly wouldn't want to even imagine what a hot dog would be without it. Nor the hamburger, pizza, fries and all the other appetizing foods that rely on it.
The Sale Of Ketchup And Eggs To Children On The Island Has Been Banned
Each country has its own norms and laws established for citizens to live peacefully and peacefully. To that end, in Norfolk County, East Anglia, police have banned shopkeepers and vendors from selling ketchup and eggs to teenagers. The ban, as ridiculous as it may seem at first glance, has its logical explanation.
